There are so many cooking oils that I wonder about what to use when and what each is for that I was excited when I found this post from MyFitnessPal with charts.
I admit, I mostly use olive oil and canola oil. I use olive oil for everything on my stove top for regular cooking and canola oil for frying or popping popcorn. So what are all these other oils for, I think, when I stop in the grocery store isle. I would love to try to use them.
I found it interesting that the oils should be stored with no air, heat, or light. I have the olive oil on the back of my stove. This may not be good, but I go through it so fast that maybe it is not so bad. My canola oil is in the dark cabinet, which is okay. I am wondering if they should be moved to the refrigerator.
Although their guides are graphically helpful, I thought I would condense the information for myself in this post. Saturated fat is the "bad" fat that is in orange on the graphic, so I will note those which are higher than 15%.
Good for searing, browning, and all-purpose cooking
Almond oil (high heat and desserts) (vitamin E)
Avocado oil (searing meats, stir fries, and salad dressings) (vitamin E) (17% saturated)
Canola oil (frying and baking) (omega 3's)
Safflower oil (good for chicken & pasta)
Sunflower oil (sauteing vegetables)
Good for baking, oven cooking, crisp sautes, and stir frying
Olive oil (cold dishes, salads, pestos) (vitamin E & K)
Grapeseed oil (vinaigrette dressings & sauteing vegetables) (vitamin E & omega 6's)
Peanut oil (fish, frying tempura, stir fry, Asian dishes) (18% saturated)
Good for light sautes, low-heat baking, and sauces
Coconut oil (butter & shortening substitute, add to soups & stews) (92% saturated)
Sesame oil (low-heat stir fry, Asian dishes) (15% saturated)
Soybean oil (light vegetable and meat sautes) (omega 6's) (15% saturated)
Walnut oil (salad dressings, tossed with pasta) (omega 3's)
Good for no-heat dressings, sauces, and dips
Flaxseed oil (dressings, cold dips & sauces, drizzle on warm dishes) (omega 3's)
Wheat germ oil (dressings, cold dips & sauces, drizzle on warm dishes) (vitamin E & omega 6's) refrigerate (17% saturated)